Chapter 19 — Contract of the Heart

Three days after the heartbreaking conversation in the club room, Thảo Nguyên returned home after school as usual, her mood still heavy because of the unresolved gap with Việt Anh. But as soon as she entered the yard, she realized something was wrong - the door was wide open, there was no sound of the lady in the kitchen preparing dinner like usual.

"Grandma?" She called, walking quickly inside, her heart began to beat fast because of a premonition of insecurity.

There was no reply. She ran through the rooms until she found Mrs. Xuân lying on the kitchen floor, near the basket of vegetables that had just spilled everywhere, her face pale, her eyes closed.

"Grandma! Grandma!" Thảo Nguyên screamed, knelt down next to her, his hands trembling to check her breathing, feeling like the whole world collapsed in that moment. She was still breathing, but very weak, her skin was cold.

She hurriedly called an ambulance, her voice trembling as she gave the address to the operator, her other hand still holding her grandmother's hand tightly, whispering her name continuously like a prayer. While waiting for the car to arrive, she also called her mother in Taiwan, her voice so choked up that she couldn't speak, and also her Aunt Hạnh, who promised to go to the hospital immediately.

The ambulance arrived after fifteen endless minutes. The medical staff quickly put Ms. Xuân on a stretcher and checked her vital signs while Thảo Nguyên stood frozen in a corner, her whole body trembling with fear and helplessness.

On the ambulance ride to the hospital, she sat tightly holding her grandmother's hand, tears kept falling, her mind reeling with thousands of worst scenarios. She remembered all the times her grandmother mentioned "not much time left", statements that she always dismissed because she didn't want to face the truth, and now, that fear seemed to be coming true before her eyes.

The cold hospital hallway with blue-white fluorescent lights and the strong smell of antiseptic made Thảo Nguyên even more panicked. She sat on a stiff plastic chair along the hallway, her hands clasped together, her eyes never leaving the closed emergency room door. Every time a shadow of a white blouse passed by, her heart tightened with hope and fear.

Aunt Hạnh arrived not long after, her face equally filled with anxiety, sat down next to her niece, holding her hand to reassure her. "My mother is very healthy, don't worry too much," she said, although her voice could not hide the tension. "She's been through more difficult things than this."

"I just wish I found out sooner," Thảo Nguyên said, her voice choked up. "If you come home a little later, I don't know what will happen..."

"Don't think about those things," Aunt Hạnh interrupted, squeezing her hand tighter. "He did everything right, called emergency services promptly, remained calm enough to provide accurate information. That's all a grandchild can do in that situation."

At the hospital, after nearly an hour of anxious waiting outside the emergency room, the doctor finally came out, announcing that Ms. Xuân had a sudden drop in blood pressure due to overwork combined with forgetting to eat lunch because she was busy preparing things for the upcoming celebration of life party. The condition was not life-threatening, but required hospitalization for a few more days to stabilize health.

Hearing the news, Thảo Nguyên felt like she had been relieved of a thousand-pound burden, but at the same time she burst into tears, her pent-up feelings of fear and self-blame completely exploding. "It's all because of me," she told Aunt Hạnh as soon as she arrived, her voice full of self-blame. "I know she's preparing for the birthday party too much, but I'm too preoccupied with my own affairs and don't pay more attention to taking care of her."

"It's not your fault," Aunt Hạnh hugged her, her voice gently comforting. "My mother is always like that, always holding on to all the work, refusing to rest. This isn't the first time, and I'm afraid it won't be the last time if she doesn't change her habits."

"I think at the birthday party," Thảo Nguyên said, her voice still shaking. "She kept trying to prepare everything so perfectly, so thoughtfully, that she forgot about her own health."

"That's right," Aunt Hạnh sighed and nodded in agreement. "My mother has always been like that, living her whole life more for others than for herself. Maybe after this, our whole family needs to sit down and discuss, reduce the size of the party, and don't let her have to shoulder so much anymore."

The news of Ms. Xuân's hospitalization spread to Việt Anh's ears through a brief text message that Bích Vân, after listening to Thảo Nguyên's story on the phone in tears, proactively sent him even though she was not sure whether to interfere in the private matter between the two people or not.

Less than half an hour later, Việt Anh appeared in the hospital hallway, panting as if he had just run a long distance, his face full of unconcealed worry. Thảo Nguyên saw him, and in that moment, all the anger and distance over the past few days seemed to completely disappear before the greater fear that was covering her.

"I heard the news and rushed over right away," Việt Anh said, standing in front of her, his eyes full of sincere concern. "How's Uncle Xuân?"

"I'm fine," Thảo Nguyên replied, her voice still shaking. "The doctor said it's just low blood pressure due to overwork and needs to be monitored in the hospital for a few days."

"So lucky," Việt Anh breathed a sigh of relief, then without hesitation, pulled her into a tight embrace, a completely natural and unplanned gesture, different from all previous hugs performed during the contract period. "I'm sorry for leaving you alone to face so many things these past few days."

Thảo Nguyên put her head on his shoulder, letting the last tears fall, feeling more clearly than ever the stability and warmth that he brought, something that no distance or fear could completely erase.

"I'm so scared," she whispered, her voice still shaking. "I'm afraid of losing her, afraid of facing everything alone."

"You don't have to be alone," Việt Anh said, his voice choked with emotion. "No matter what happens between us, I'm always here, ready to run whenever you need me, like today."

That sentence, simple but sincere, made Thảo Nguyên's heart warm again after the past cold days. The two stood there, embracing each other in the deserted hospital hallway, without needing any further explanation, letting each other's presence say everything that words could not describe.

Aunt Hạnh stood not far away, quietly observing that moment with a slight smile on her lips. Even though she didn't say anything, her eyes were enough to show her approval of the sincere feelings her niece was having, regardless of all the recent turbulence.

After Mrs. Xuân was moved to the hospital room to rest, Thảo Nguyên and Việt Anh sat next to each other on a bench in the hallway, waiting for the time to visit. The atmosphere between the two was much less tense than three days ago, although there were still unanswered questions.

"Thank you for coming," Thảo Nguyên said softly, her head still resting on his shoulder.

"I will always come, no matter what happens between us," Việt Anh replied, his voice firm. "Watching you panic through Bích Vân's text messages, I realized that there are fears that are much scarier than the fear of a relationship that could fail - that is the fear of not being able to be with the person you care about when they need you the most."

Thảo Nguyên looked up at him, realizing in Việt Anh's eyes that something had changed compared to a few days ago, a new determination was gradually replacing the hesitation and fear.

"So that means," she asked quietly, not daring to hope for too much, "have you found your own answer yet?"

Việt Anh was silent for a moment, looked down at the hand holding her hand tightly, then nodded slightly. "Maybe not completely," he replied honestly, "but I know one thing for sure — I don't want to let fear keep me absent from the most important moments in your life, like today."

"So let's slowly find the answer together," Thảo Nguyên said, smiling weakly but sincerely. "There's no need to rush, there's no need to have the perfect answer right away. Just don't disappear like the past few days."

"I promise," Việt Anh said, squeezing her hand tighter. The nurse then stepped out to announce that visiting hours had begun. They both stood up and walked into the hospital room together, where Mrs. Xuân was resting. Her face was much rosier than when she first entered the hospital. Her eyes opened slightly when she heard footsteps, shining with warm joy when she saw the two standing next to each other at the door.